For many years, Joanna Gaines tried to get her mother’s “full holiday meal” for Thanksgiving down to a process. but the former perfectionist said she had difficulty getting the recipes because of how her mom likes to cook. Here’s how she eventually pulled it off.
Joanna Gaines had a hard time getting her mother’s holiday meal recipes because she cooks ‘to taste’ and ‘wings it every time’
On instagram, Joanna shared that she was only recently able to get her mother’s traditional Thanksgiving recipes. “For years I’ve wanted to write down my mom’s full holiday meal that she has made since I was little,” she wrote along with photos of their time together.
The Magnolia Network founder added, “It has always been hard for her to just give me the recipe because she cooks ‘to taste’ so nothing is ever written down or measured. She just wings it every time and every time it’s my favorite.”
Joanna Gaines learned her mother’s ‘full holiday meal’ plan by watching her ‘every move’
Joanna shared on Instagram that she eventually got the recipes she wanted. To do that, she “cleared” [her] schedule and sat and watched her every move and wrote it all down.”
“It feels like such a gift to finally have these recipes of my mom’s on paper, all written out,” the mom of five kids shared. “And the even greater gift was the time we got to spend together in the kitchen today.”
“This Thanksgiving, I’m extra grateful for family, tradition, and good food,” she concluded.
Though she didn’t share the recipes with fans, they can get an idea of her family’s meal plan from her photos. She wrote down the steps for “Mom’s dressing,” “Dad’s turkey,” and classics like dressing and green bean casserole.
Joanna Gaines thanked her mother for setting her up well for life
Joanna has been open about how her mom’s Korean heritage and history have impacted her life. She shared how it gave her a deeper appreciation for what she’s experienced. “…If my mom, who came here at 19 years old from South Korea, would know that her daughter would one day experience the world like this…” she said on SiriusXM’s The Hoda Show with Hoda Kotb.
She noted that her mom couldn’t even get a driver’s license and rode a bike around initially. “When I think about how much she fought for the family, for all the things, the dreams… When she talks to me now, she says ‘never in a million years would I think that I would have a daughter [who gets to do these things],’” Joanna explained.
“Through the lens of all that she’s been through — the hardship, the fight — I think, for her, I think for both of us, it’s that thing of like, Mom, you set me up well. You set me up well because of the way you fought for this, your passion, now I get to kind of live in that wake.”